


Reminder

by BuddyTheMeanPeacock



Series: Drabbles and Oneshots (DimiClaude) [30]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: M/M, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:36:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29551521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuddyTheMeanPeacock/pseuds/BuddyTheMeanPeacock
Summary: Dimitri is feeling down, and Claude tries to help with that
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan
Series: Drabbles and Oneshots (DimiClaude) [30]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1561504
Comments: 6
Kudos: 52





	Reminder

Dimitri didn’t look happy. More so than he usually didn’t look happy. Frankly, Claude was surprised that he still came over, what with his habit of keeping to himself on _good_ days. Could this be called progress? He hoped so.

As it is, Dimitri was sitting on the other side of the small table Claude sets up for their tea time, hands still politely sitting in his lap, very much _not_ drinking the tea in front of him. Scowling seemed like his preferred course of action right now, and Claude won’t lie and say he wasn’t a bit worried. 

He knows not to ask directly what’s wrong; he has an idea of what it likely is already, so there’s no real point to it. He also knows a frayed Dimitri is a Dimitri that isn’t the best at controlling his insane strength, and the poor little teacup stands little chance of withstanding a man that can lift a grown horse with one hand.

He has an idea of what can, though.

Claude gets up - which itself gains a bit of Dimitri’s attention, his sullen gaze focusing on him - and he says, as casually as he can, “You know, I always work _real_ hard on making sure the tea’s nice and tasty when you come over. I’d like it if you took a sip, even if it’s just one.”

Dimitri takes a second. Claude waits. Then, he mutters, “I do not think… I can be trusted, to handle such a thing as of now.”

“Don’t worry, I get that. Lemme help out,” and Claude leans over the table, wrapping his hands around the teacup.

Dimitri’s eye narrows. “I will not have you feed me.”

“Alright, if you say so.” Wasn’t his plan anyway. He doesn’t take his hands off the cup.

As expected, confusion dances with discontent. After a bit of waiting - awkward, for Claude, but he is a patient man - it takes the lead and causes Dimitri to ask, quietly, “Then… what is this?”

Claude chuckled. “My hands are a bit thicker than this dainty thing, don’t you think?”

Confusion takes a solo lead, and then is outstaged by a duo of shock and realization. Dimitri shakes his head, locks of hair moving too stiff. Claude will have to ask around about that - maybe Mercedes can help. “What ridiculous-! I will not risk crushing your _hands_ , Claude.” The narrowed look comes back, though Claude didn’t miss the quick, quiet swallow. “Remove them at once.”

Claude playfully rolled his eyes. “Relax, Dimitri. Look at it like this; the cup’ll be safe, you get to drink a nice sip of tea, and I get my tea appreciated. It’s a win-win-win! And how often do you get to see those, let alone be part of one?”

Another moment, this one longer, as Dimitri contemplates with his eye seemingly stuck on the captured cup in front of him. Claude waits; he’s quite good at it.

Finally, barely audible in the silent room, “Just one sip... will suffice?”

Claude smiles. “That’s all.”

Slowly, gauntleted hands come up from their polite place on his lap. They carefully, carefully come close to his own before they touch and cover them completely. He always forgets how much bigger Dimitri’s hands were than his.

It makes this easier at least, he thinks. 

Dimitri is moving very slowly, gently pulling Claude’s hands along with his, letting Claude follow him more easily as he moves the cup up to his lips. Claude can feel, through the thinner palms of Dimitri’s gloves, the slight twitches in his fingers, the tense muscle throughout his hands, that want to _not break, not break, not break_ screaming through the calculated movements.

Claude fought back the urge to sigh. Dimitri ought to have more faith in himself.

He feels the cup slightly tilt toward Dimitri. It was a short sip, though enough for a mouthful, he thinks, before the cup is slowly, slowly pulled away. It juxtaposed jarringly with the way Dimitri immediately afterwards snatched his hands away from Claude’s, as if they’d shatter on the spot if he held them a second too long. 

He swallowed another sigh down his throat. _Progress_ , Claude thinks. It was a good sign Dimitri had indulged him in the first place. Steps were being taken, if in a strange direction.

Dimitri looked at Claude’s hands, not even trying to hide it. Claude flexed them, rotated them, wiggled his fingers. “They’re fine, Dimitri. Completely uncrushed.” He leaned over and patted a furred shoulder, Dimitri’s gaze following his actions. The fur was matted and dirty. He'll deal with that soon enough. “Feeling any better?”

The prince took his time answering, more interested in watching the hand on him. Then he turns his gaze to Claude’s face, looking not quite as down now though still… unsettled, by something. 

“Do not do that again,” he orders, stern and direct. 

At that Claude chuckles; he expected that, at least. “I know, I know, I won’t get away with that again,” he says, smile on his face as he leans back into his chair. “Well, since you’re so talkative, I need your opinion on something. Me and Hilda keep going back and forth, and she _insists_ that her wyvern is cuter than mine. The nerve! As if anybody could beat my baby girl!”

Dimitri scoffs. “I’ve no interest in discussing the attractiveness of wyverns.”

“But you’ve gotta admit that mine is _totally_ the winner here. Not even a contest, really.”

Claude could almost - almost - be convinced he snagged a chuckle out of the taciturn “beast” in front of him. He can hope he did, in any rate; it would be nice if Dimitri went to sleep while being something close to happy. The tonic should kick in after a bit, and then Dimitri can get some sleep that he’s obviously been avoiding.

Usually Claude wouldn’t pull such means on friends, but he can tell Dimitri has been having a few too many bad days for him to have been sleeping well; this should help some with that. He’ll ask around with Mercedes, Manuela, maybe Marianne, ask around with Dimitri’s friends more, make sure the progress Dimitri’s made isn’t lost due to neglect. 

But right now, Claude talks about meaningless things. Reminds Dimitri that he can control himself. Takes his mind off the war some. 

He can hope that helps him.

**Author's Note:**

> Claude: hmm, he isn't grabbing the teacup cuz it'll break, but he'd never hurt me so I'll just help him out (:
> 
> Dimitri: *panicking internally and externally*


End file.
